Through the Years
by Happily Hungry
Summary: In which Max and Fang make friends, make out, and get in a whole lot of trouble. Hogwarts AU. One-shot if no one requests more.


**First Year**

"This carriage full?" Fang asked the kid sitting by the window nervously. It obviously wasn't, the kid was the only one in there, but his mother was big on manners and this was his first time away from home, so he was being extra careful. Fang had gotten his letter to Hogwarts in the smack-bang middle of the holidays, and his parents - both muggles - had been ecstatic. The kid turned to face him, grinning cheekily, and Fang realized with a start that the milky film over his eyes meant that he was blind.

"Go on then," he allowed, nodding his blond head to the seat opposite. "Thanks, mate. M' Fang, by the way," he mumbled dreading the imminent comment as he sat down. "Funky name," the kid commented, the cheeky grin not slipping for a second "Though I'm not one to talk. My name is _Ignatius_." he wrinkled his nose "Just call me Iggy. Want a chocolate frog?"

Iggy, apparently a pureblood, was just explaining the rules of Quidditch to him when someone suddenly slid open the carriage door. "Iggy, if you have eaten any _one_ of my chocolate frogs I swear to Merlin - Oh. Who are you?" a tall blonde girl asked Fang rudely. Iggy groaned "Fang, meet the reason this carriage was empty, my terrible twin: Maximum. Maximum, meet Fang."

"Fang?" she asked, incredulous.

"Maximum?" he returned, raising an eyebrow.

Unexpectedly, she grinned, and suddenly Fang was struck by how _pretty_ she was, too busy being annoyed with her to notice earlier. Her sun-streaked blonde hair was darker than her brother's, and she had almost too-big, chocolaty brown eyes inspecting him as deciding if he was worthy of her presence. She had straight teeth and an even tan that spoke of hours playing outside, interrupted only by a smattering of freckles on the bridge of her nose, probably the only thing about her that was in any way adorable.

"Call me Max," she corrected with a mischievous smile that must be a sibling thing, and plopped down inelegantly next to him, making him bounce on the over-stuffed cushions. "So what house do you think you'll get into? I'm going to be in Gryffindor." She informed him, really meaning more to tell than ask, but Fang wasn't paying much attention. He more contemplating what a bad idea it would be to develop a crush on a girl like Max.

* * *

**Third Year**

"I've always known you were a little crazy. I mean, who doesn't? You're _you_," Fang panted, struggling to keep up with his long-time best friend and earning himself an eye roll. "But I never knew you were honest to Merlin _insane_."

"Oh, man up." Max reprimanded him. "It's just a bloody forest."

"A forest filled with man-eating monsters that we were expressly banned from." He pointed out, but, not for the first time that evening, Max seemed to developed a sudden case of selective hearing.

Fang had never been quite as brave as Max. When he had been sorted into Slytherin two years ago, he had been frightened that the rivalry between their two houses - Max had been sorted into Gryffindor - would mean He could kiss all his dreams of being her boyfriend, or even her friend, goodbye. But, Max being Max, the moment she received advise that it wasn't a good idea to befriend a Slytherin, and that it was practically set in stone that he was going to betray and take advantage of her, she promptly requested that the offender "Fuck off and mind their own business," earning herself a week's worth of detentions and Fang's permanent respect.

Of course, he was still working on the 'boyfriend' thing, but Fang figured he would never have had much of a chance with that, Slytherin or not.

So he stuck by her, enduring her crazy brother, his own, repeatedly failing attempts to ask her out, and Max's impulsive, hair-brained, _badly-planned_ schemes, one of which had somehow landed them in the Forbidden Forest.

Fang jumped violently at the sound of a snapping twig, and swung around wand in hand only to discover he made the noise himself, the fading light making him jumpy. Sighing harshly through his nose, Fang cursed Max's eyes for the thousandth time that evening. If it weren't for those big, dark eyes, he was sure, he wouldn't even be here. Well, now that he thought about it, getting rid of her dark, curling eyelashes would certainly help. And those little freckles on her nose, the only truly cute thing about her, they would definitely have to go -

"Yow!" Fang yelped, embarrassingly feminine, as he tripped over a root he could have easily avoided if he had been paying attention. The face he just been thinking about spun to see him, surprise quickly turning to amusement as the light of her wand glinted red and gold off her tie. "Daydreaming, Princess?" she teased. Fang scowled, wishing he could hex the stupid freckles off her stupid face.

* * *

**Fifth Year**

Fang just didn't get why she was so mad at him. The last time he had seen her this colossally pissed off was when Iggy decided it would be funny to put her under an _ominino rosea_ curse. Everything - her clothes, hair, skin, even eyes- had been hot pink for a week, and Iggy still had scars from the oppugno jinx she had smacked him with.

But Fang hadn't cast a curse and Max wasn't pink all over and he was getting kind of tired of her either avoiding him like he had dragon pox or glaring at him like he was Salazar Slytherin incarnate, like she was now.

"What's up with you?" he hissed at her, tired of her acidic glances but trying not to capture Snape's attention. Caught in the act, Max blanched and turn back to her now pale lavender potion like he'd burned her, messily chopping up her mandrake root as she blabbered. "What? What's up with me? Nothing's up with me. Where did you get the idea something was up with me?" She asked, clearly forcing herself to meet his eye as she dumped twice the required amount of mandrake root into her potion.

Fang raised an eyebrow at her "You were looking at me like I was planning to murder your first born child. What's up?" he persisted. Keeping her eyes firmly on her cauldron, she spat out the words like they were poison, keeping her voice down "I don't like your girlfriend." Fang was incredulous "Wait a second. All of… _this_," he gestured loosely at her "is because you don't like Lissa?" Could she be…? No. Max had made it very clear how she felt about him last year, when she ran like a bat out of hell after he kissed her, enthusiastic as she was during the actual kiss. Their relationship had been trained for a full month afterwards. But if it wasn't that then… "Why?" he asked bluntly. Max shot him an irritated look, trying desperately to fix the damage the extra mandrake root had caused "Well, you barely know each other."

"We've had Runes together for the whole year."

"She's a Ravenclaw."

"So's your brother."

"She's bossy."

"So are you."

"She's a red-head and not even a dementor would kiss her!"

"That happened once, two hundred years ago and the fact he had red hair was pure coincidence! Merlin, Max, you're acting like a jealous girlfriend!"

Then Max's face went as pink as the omnino rosea curse and Fang had a kind of slow realization, the kind where you realize that everything you've ever wanted from a person was almost _almost_ yours and looks like Fang would be breaking up with Lissa this evening.

Then Max's potion exploded.

Max got a week's detention and 20 points from Gryffindor for the potion.

Fang got two week's detention and 30 points from Slytherin because he couldn't stop himself grinning.

* * *

**Seventh Year**

"Good~ morning Fangels," Max chirruped cheerfully as she slid into the seat next to him on the Slytherin table, shoving the attractive sixth year Leona Witingham out of the way with perhaps a bit more force than necessary. "Never, in the six and a half years I have known you, have you ever been happy to see a dawn." Fang observed dryly, keeping his eyes on his breakfast "I hope you're not drunk, Max."

"I am perfectly sober, I'll have you know," she continued cheerfully. Fang glanced up her her, surprised at her for ignoring his jab, a decision he immediately regretted as his heart stuttered annoyingly. She didn't look all that different from normal, but her little bits of blonde were falling out of whatever she had pulled her hair into and her eyes were shining and she was wearing her signature cheeky grin and _the things that girl does to me_ -

"And I'm happy because today is the day I kick your arse on that Quidditch field." Max informed him confidently, "In your dreams, Ride," he responded automatically, but Fang couldn't help but be grateful that she cut in before he started making gooey eyes at her or something equally as embarrassing. Max had reigned as captain of the Gryffindor team from her position as Chaser for almost a whole year, and he knew all too well how determined she was be the first besides Slytherin to win the six years. Fang had never made it to captain, but, as he argued, being the Seeker was practically the same thing.

"You can't snog our game plan out of him, you know," came a highly entertained voice from the other side of the table. It was a slightly more ruffled looking Leona Witingham, who had apparently relocated her seating plan. Max spluttered. "W-What? What are you talking about?"

"What do you think?" she asked, amused. "Everyone knows you two are shagging. You aren't exactly…" she glanced between them meaningfully "… discrete."

When they didn't respond, Leona crinkled her pretty brow in an incredulous frown, sensing their confusion. "You're joking, right?" she glanced between them again, scanning their faces. "But - but, he was making eyes at you like three seconds ago!" She protested, turning to Max. Fang flinched as Max turned red, looks like he hadn't been safe after all. "N-No, he wasn't." Max refused stubbornly as she grew steadily redder in the face, nevertheless sending Fang an inquisitive look as he tried his very best to die on the spot.

"Yes he was." Leona insisted "He thinks you're _beautifu_l~," she cooed, only half mocking. Just as Fang started thinking that her head might explode if any more blood flowed to it, Max took her leave. "I'll see you at the game." she said, forcing herself not to stutter as she stood, completely ignoring Leona.

Fang sent the sixth year a scorching glance, which she met with a superior toss of her head. "Trust me, come tomorrow morning you'll be thanking me."

—

"I can't believe it! Once, we had to score once and it would have been a draw."

"Then what are you yelling at _me_ for?"

"I'm yelling at you because it's _your_ fault!"

"That you didn't score an extra goal?"

"Yes!"

"How?! How is Fletchley's actually being able to block something for once my fault?" he asked her angrily, the sound of his harsh breathing loud in the deserted hallway. They argued like this sometimes, like instead of being best friends for years all they wanted was to tear each other's throats out. But at least in most of those arguments Fang understood what in Merlin Max was talking about.

"You want to know how it's your fault, do you?" Max asked, looking half mad with her wide eyes and windblown hair as she took a step closer to him, backing him into the wall as he took a step back. "That would be nice, yeah." he spat back her, not one to be intimidated as he tried to use his five-centimetres-taller-than-her to his advantage. Max looked about as frightened as she would be if he were a puppy. "Fletchly wouldn't have been able to catch that goal if I'd been the one throwing it." Max pointed out, and Fang nodded, exasperated, everyone knew that. "And I made you come over a talk to me, did I?" Fang asked mock understandingly, but caught himself when she suddenly flushed red and broke his gaze to stare at the ground.

Max mumbled something, staring resolutely at the ground. "What?" Fang asked, not catching it. Sighing dramatically, Max glanced up at him bashfully and said more quickly, but this time audibly "I wanted to know what Witingham was talking about. Were you making eyes at me?" Max asked sharply, glaring.

"No! I mean - sort of - I, um," Fang spluttered, scrabbling desperately for the right thing to say "I mean, it's not like your unattractive, and I'm a teenage boy of the same age group so - " Fang blanched as Max raised a sceptical eye brow. "N-not that I perving on you. I-I wasn't, really. It's just, um. I'vekindoffanciedyousincefirstyear." He blurted out, all in one breath, and then immediately flinched. Stupid stupid stupid! he berated himself, not noticing Max's attempt of a confident step towards him.

"You… you fancy me?" Max asked incredulously, and Fang managed a shaky laugh. "Well, you'd think it'd be a little more obvious than that. I did try to snog you in fifth year." he reminded her "I thought - well, I don't know what I thought," Max responded, grinning reluctantly, "You were a pretty terrible kisser in fifth year." she informed with a giggle. Fang pouted, inwardly pleased that Max had yet to scream at him for being a pervert. "Wow," he began petulantly "that certainly helps my ego. Thank you, Max." He teased, only to tense as Max casually wrapped a warm, soft hand around the back of his neck and inched closer, forcing him to press himself into the uneven wall.

"Um… Max?" he asked, internally reeling as he forced his voice not to jump an octave. Meeting his eyes, she opened her mouth to answer, but then closed it again and shook her head, sighing, and Fang could feel her minty exhale against his mouth, instead deciding to press her lips to his.

At first Fang was unresponsive to the gentle pressure, too caught up in the realization that _holyshitmaxiskissingme_ and the weird happy numb feeling in his lips to really kiss back, but then the hand on his neck slid up to tangle and tug on his too-long hair and Fang was snapped back to reality as he began to kiss back with equal fervor Wrapping his hands tightly around her small, warm waist and getting really tired of the rock jamming into his back he flipped them over, pressing Max into the wall so hard he could feel her racing heartbeat against his chest.

Max, disconnecting from Fang's mouth with quiet smack, laughed breathily at Fang's noise of discontent being for moving to investigate his neck, placing delicate kisses behind his ear and following his tendon, occasionally nipping lightly with her teeth. Fang, being given a chance to breathe but finding it difficult to string together any actual thoughts, blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "You know, the whole Quidditch thing was more Witingham's fault then mine."

"Shut up Fang," Max groaned amusedly as she brought her lips back to his.

Ten minutes later they received a week's worth of _separat_e detentions for snogging in the corridors.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! I originally wrote this for my blog, flywiththeflock dot tumblr dot com, so if you want more of the same then just check out tagged/ficlet and maybe follow? Review please!**


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